Combustion chamber in rotating annular casing



March 6, 1951 Q R. H. GODDARD 2,544,420

COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN ROTATING CASING Filed May 7, 1947 NVENT 7 gm. W W

Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBUSTION CHAMBER maorarmc ANNULAR CASING Robert H. Goddard, deceased, late of Annapolis,

Md., by Esther O. Goddard, executrix, Worcester, Mass., assignor ofone-half to The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application May "I. 1947, Serial No.746,615

1 Claim.

It is the general object of the present invention I to provide aconstruction by which air resistance in flight may be greatly reducedfor such combustion chambers and by which air resistance from rotationmay be correspondingly reduced.

To the attainment of these general objects, a plurality oi combustionchambers are disposed in a circumferential or annular series, and thelongitudinal axis of each separate combustion chamber is curved alongits circumferential path. Furthermore. all of the combustion chambersare enclosed in a single annular streamlined casing.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed;

out in the appended claim.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in 4 the drawing. in whichFig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a pair 01' the improvedcombustion chambers and their supporting structure;

Fig. 2 is an axial sectionof the chambers and the enclosing casing,taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section, taken along thelinei-linFighandFig. 4 is an enlarged cross section. taken along thelinel-linFigJ.

' shaft is is thus attained.

Propellers may be mounted directly on the shaft It, or power may betaken oflindirectly for any desired. purpose. For larger units, morecombustion chambers may be added in series or in parallel.

The annular casing i0 is mounted on tubular arms 20 which enclose feedpipes 22 for the combustion mixture and which may also enclose pipes 24through which wires or other control devices may be conducted to thecombustion chambers.

The casing l0 preferably has the streamlined section shown in Figs. 2and 3 and is well adapted to enclose the combustion chambers and toshield 2 the chambers and nozzles from the air stream produced byflight.

In order to reduce the air resistance of the arms 20, a streamlinedcasing sleeve 40 is desirably mounted on each arm 20 and is free to turnthereon. when in flight, these sleeves assume positions due to thecombined eflect of rotationand of the air stream, and the positions thusautomatically assumed are the positions of least air resistance.

By the use of this invention, combustion chambers may be effectivelyutilized directly for driving a propeller in'an aircraft. and the airresistance of the driving mechanism will be reduced to a minimum.

Having thus described the invention and the advantages thereof, it willbe understood that the invention is not to be limited to the detailsherein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but whatisclaimed is:

I In propulsion apparatus, a rotatable shaft, a coaxial hollow annularcasing, means to support said casing for rotation with said shaft butsubstantially spaced outward therefrom, the leading portion of saidcasing being substantially semicircular in radial cross section and theremaining portion being rearwardly tapered for streamlining, a pluralityof combustion chambers of circular cross section mounted in equallycircumierentially spaced relation in the leading portion or saidannuiarcasing and said chambers being curved longitudinally to correspond tothe circumierential curvature of said annular casing. said casing havingspaced peripheral outer openings and said combustion chambers havingrearward discharge nozzles entirely enclosed in said casing andangularly disposed with respect to the associated combustion chambers toiacihtate discharge irom said nozzles through said peripheral openings.

ESTHER C. GODDARD. Executria: of the Last Wm and Testament of Robert H.Goddard, Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,273 Tyler Jan. 14, 19192,220,066 Cornell, Jr. Nov. 5, 1940 2,281,203 Pitcairn Apr. 28, 19422,425,904 Vernon Aug. 19, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,561Great Britain of 1881 13,019 Great Britain June 23, 1905

